When the System Shapes the Story: A Case for Thinking Beyond the Individual

In mental health, we often look at a single person and assign the problem to them — their diagnosis, their “lack of coping,” their “poor choices.” But what happens when we zoom out and see the bigger picture? Systems thinking invites us to step beyond the individual and ask deeper questions: What forces around this person are contributing to what we see? And how might those forces shift if we worked with them, rather than against them?

Case Example: Depression Beyond the Individual

Imagine Sarah, a 32-year-old woman who presents with persistent low mood, fatigue, and feelings of worthlessness. On paper, it reads like “classic depression.” She’s given medication and encouraged to attend therapy — all of which she tries. But months later, her symptoms remain.

When we look closer, a different picture emerges. Sarah is in a high-pressure job with no real boundaries between work and personal life. She’s a single mother with little social support, carrying the mental and emotional load of parenting alone. At home, she’s also caring for an ageing parent whose needs are increasing. The constant demands leave her in a state of physical exhaustion and emotional depletion.

In this wider context, Sarah’s depression is not just a chemical imbalance or an individual failing — it’s a natural response to an unsustainable life structure. Without shifting the systems around her — workplace expectations, caregiving support, and access to community resources — treatment that focuses solely on her as the “problem” will miss the mark.

When Pathology Gets Projected Too often, pathology is projected into the individual, as though their distress lives only inside their mind. This narrow focus ignores how relationships, institutions, and cultural expectations create and maintain suffering. When we frame the problem only at the level of the person, we risk reinforcing shame and overlooking the bigger levers for change.

Why Systems Thinking Matters Systems thinking asks us to look for patterns — not just in behaviour, but in the structures and relationships that hold those behaviours in place. In Sarah’s case, this could mean workplace advocacy, respite care for her parent, or community programs that ease the isolation of single parenting. Change the system, and the “symptoms” often shift in turn.

The Takeaway Mental health is never just about one person in isolation. It’s the interplay of internal experiences and external realities. If we want to create real, lasting change, we have to address both. Seeing the whole system doesn’t let the individual off the hook for their role in change — but it does offer a truer, kinder, and often more effective path forward.